Average Electricity bill in a 3bdrm apartment? (Arlington, Garland: apartments, house)

[jamoolah]

Just moved to richardson/dallas area to a 3bdrm. I chose TXU just because I didnt know anything about any other companies..it's all new to me.
Anyway, I just got my first full bill at $226! I couldnt believe it! I moved from Kansas City and during the cold winter months when the heater is on 24/7 our bill never exceeded $150.
Is this price normal? Or could there be something wrong with the ac unit?
If this is the norm...what electricity company should I switch too?

Thanks in advance!

[galore]

Welcome to DFW - the place of expensive electricity! $226 for 3BR is not outrageous. What floor are you on? How old is the apartment? What temperature is the thermostat set to?

[Lisa_from_Debary]

When I lived in Arlington, I used to put foil in the window of the bedroom which looked out on a parking lot...alot of heat used to come through that window.

Then later, when I lived in a house...I put foil in the bedroom windows because that was the side of the house the sun came up on...lots of heat.

A prettier idea is those window blinds that have the metal fabric built in.

A huge part of your electricity bill will be in keeping your apartment cool...it gets ungodly hot in Texas in the summer.

[MaryS80]

Originally Posted by jamoolah

Just moved to richardson/dallas area to a 3bdrm. I chose TXU just because I didnt know anything about any other companies..it's all new to me.
Anyway, I just got my first full bill at $226! I couldnt believe it! I moved from Kansas City and during the cold winter months when the heater is on 24/7 our bill never exceeded $150.
Is this price normal? Or could there be something wrong with the ac unit?
If this is the norm...what electricity company should I switch too?

Thanks in advance!

sounds low to normal to me. TXU is infamous for their over inflated prices. We've had a fairly cool summer due to the rain so there has not been as much of a need for the A/C.

I have a one bedroom apartment in Garland my electric bill in the summer has averaged about $120-150. Granted I have GP&L, though I have heard conflicting info on their rates.

I've heard of TXU customers bills running into $300-400 range and sometimes more.

You best bet is to find ways to conserve power.

[FarNorthDallas]

Sounds low to me, but then again, it's been a lot cooler this summer than normal. In the true heat of the summer our bills for our 2300 sq foot house are closer to $600. How many square feet do you have? Do you have west facing windows? What do you set the temp at?

[USA_Mom]

Unfortunately it is low to normal. Our 3000 square foot house averaged $300-600 during the year and IIRC our 1200 square foot apartment (3 bedroom/2bath) was around $200 a month in the late 1990s.

[lh_newbie]

Apartments aren't built for efficiency. They aren't sealed to air leakage and they certainly don't spend money on high efficiency HVAC.

I am shocked by some people's 3000sq ft and less homes being anywhere near $600. Our 2600 sq ft house was just $166 last month. Granted, the heat wasn't as obnoxious as it can be, so I'd suspect we could potentially get a bill during really high heat of $250-300 at most.

Then again, we did install a 16-SEER HVAC system, I did a lot of sealing of air leaks in the attic, then blew in 15" of insulation... so our house is now as efficient as it can be (unless someone wants to give us a big check so we can replace the windows... hehe)

I strongly suggest you folks with $600 bills take a look at new air conditioning, increasing your insulation and/or window films/solar screen options. I can't believe the difference in our house! Not only is it more comfortable, but the upgrades will pay for themselves in roughly 5 years.

Brian

[FarNorthDallas]

We did just put new windows in our 40 year old house and that helped. We had to take down the trees on the west side of the house and that hurt. We have 3 refrigerators/freezers and that hurts. Last summer was the first time we started approaching $600. (I think the high bill was $525.) We use TXU and that may not be a good idea. Of course this years hasn't been bad yet at all, but summer isn't over.

[killer2021]

Normal. If you don't like it you will have to sweat/freeze a little hahah.

[CallMeLaura]

Call TXU and ask what the average bill was last year. They can give you that.